Electroencephalography is a technique for measuring the electrical activity of the brain by recording the electrical activity from electrodes placed on the scalp. The graph produced by electroencephalography is called an electroencephalogram (EEG).
Electroencephalography has a number of advantages over other diagnostic techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging, in that electroencephalography records the electrical activity of the brain and does not require the patient to remain still for extended periods. Electroencephalography is generally performed by placing electrodes on the scalp using a conductive gel or paste, where each electrode is attached to an individual wire which isolates the activity at the position of the electrode. The names and locations of the electrodes are usually specified using the International 10-20 system for consistency between institutions, where 21 electrodes are used in testing an adult. A ground electrode or a ground electrode and a reference electrode are also generally used in testing.
There are a number of potentially treatable conditions which electroencephalography can diagnose through characteristic electroencephalogram patterns. Among these conditions are non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE), seizure and stroke. It is difficult to diagnose brain injuries such as NCSE and strokes in many patients, particularly those who have altered mental status or who are comatose without performing electroenchalography.
Disadvantageously, however, specially trained technicians are often not available to apply electroencephalography electrodes so that electroencephalography can be performed in every location and at all times. Therefore, electroencephalography as a diagnostic technique is underutilized, such as in the emergency room (ER), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), operating room (OR), at accident scenes and in a battlefield situation. Further, routine electroencephalography as a part of a primary medical examination is generally not performed, in part because of the difficulty of placing the electrodes properly. Additionally, currently used electroencephalography devices are costly to produce, and are therefore cleaned between uses so that the devices can be reused on other patients. The cleaning and disinfecting process is time consuming.
Therefore, there is a need for a device for performing electroencephalography which is not associated with the disadvantages of currently used devices.